Count Frederick of Isenberg (Friedrich von Isenberg) (1193 – 15 November 1226) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

noble, the younger son of

Arnold of Altena Arnold of Altena, count of Altena, count of Isenberg and Hövel, Vogt of Werden (1166–1209) was a son of Eberhard IV of Berg. He inherited the north-western territorium of Altena, and became 1st count of Isenberg in 1200. He married Mathilde ...

(died 1209). Before the split between

-Isenberg the eldest and his brother Friedrich Altena-Mark the younger son of Everhard von Berg-Altena. His family castle was the

Isenberg Isenberg was a County of medieval Germany. It was a partition of the county of Altena and was annexed to Limburg-Hohenlimburg, Limburg(Lenne) in 1242. Counts of Isenberg (1191–1242) * Eberhard I, Count of Berg-Altena (1140–1180) count of Alt ...

near

Hattingen Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 13 ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Murder

According to recent research, Frederick of

was a leading figure in the opposition of

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

n nobles to the aggressive power politics of the

Archbishop of Cologne The Archbishop of Cologne governs the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cologne in western North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, the archbishop was ''ex officio'' one of the prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled the Electorate of Cologne ...

, Engelbert of Berg. In 1225 at the Nobles' Assembly in Soest, Count Frederick met his cousin Count Engelbert von Berg, Archbishop of Cologne, in order to bring about a peaceful agreement concerning the stewardship (''

Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

ei'') of

Essen Abbey Essen Abbey () was a community of secular canonesses for women of high nobility that formed the nucleus of modern-day Essen, Germany. A chapter of male priests were also attached to the abbey, under a dean. In the medieval period, the abbess ...

, which Count Frederick, according to contemporary complaints, was abusing to his own benefit and to the detriment of the abbey. No conclusion was reached. During their return together from Soest to Cologne, Count Frederick arranged to ambush his cousin, in a defile at the foot of the

Gevelsberg Gevelsberg (; Westphalian: ''Gievelsbiärg'') is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography The town lies in the valley of the river Ennepe in the Süder Uplands, which is part of the Rhenish Mas ...

between

Hagen Hagen () is a city in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, on the southeastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne and Volme meet the Ruhr (river), Ruhr. In 2023, the ...

and

Schwelm Schwelm () is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis in the administrative region of Arnsberg within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. Geography Schwelm is situated in the southeast of the "''Ruhrgebiet''", the Ruhr d ...

in the late afternoon of 7 November 1225, in the course of which the Archbishop was killed. There is no consensus as to whether it was a deliberately planned murder, or whether the Archbishop was killed in the heat of combat. Current research assumes the latter, and that it was intended to take him into "knightly detention" so that the political demands of the opposing nobility could be pushed through. This was in accordance with the customs of the medieval feuding ethos.

Aftermath

Frederick of Isenberg was outlawed and excommunicated. He was stripped of all offices and stewardships and his entire personal wealth. In the winter of 1225/1226 the new Archbishop of Cologne, Heinrich von Müllenark, besieged and destroyed his castle. Frederick travelled with his brothers

Dietrich Dietrich () is an ancient German name meaning "ruler of the people", but also "keeper of the keys" or "lockpick" (either the tool or the profession). Given name * Dietrich, Count of Oldenburg (c. 1398–1440) * Thierry of Alsace (; 1099–1168), ...

and

Engelbert Engelbert may refer to: *Engelbert (name), including a list of people with the name *Herr Engelbert Von Smallhausen, in the British sitcom Allo 'Allo!'' *Engelbert, Netherlands Engelbert is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a pa ...

, bishops of

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

and

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

(both also implicated in the death of the Archbishop), and the notary of Isenberg with the necessary documents to the

Curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, in order to have the excommunication lifted. On the return journey Frederick was taken prisoner at

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

and sold for 2,100 silver

mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

s to the chapter of

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...

. On 14 November 1226 he was executed in front of the Severin Gate in Cologne. His arms and legs were smashed and he was

broken on the wheel The breaking wheel, also known as the execution wheel, the Wheel of Catherine or the (Saint) Catherine('s) Wheel, was a Torture, torture method used for Capital punishment#Public execution, public execution primarily in Europe from Classical ant ...

, after which he was displayed on a stone pillar. He did not die until the next day. His son, Count Dietrich von Altena-Isenberg, later fought to recover his paternal inheritance and founded the house of the Lords of Limburg Styrum and the house of the Counts of Limburg Hohenlimburg and the County of Limburg at Hohenlimburg.

Marriage and children

Frederick married c. 1210 Sophie of Limburg, a daughter of

Waleran III, Duke of Limburg Waleran III (or Walram III) ( – 2 July 1226) was initially lord of Montjoie, then count of Luxembourg from 1214. He became count of Arlon and duke of Limburg on his father's death in 1221. He was the son of Henry III of Limburg and Sophia of ...

and Cunigunde of Lorraine. They had issue: * Dietrich I (born before 1215, died 1301), last Count of

and

Altena Altena (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Altenoa'') is a town in the district of Märkischer Kreis, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The town's castle is the origin for the later Dukes of Berg. Altena is situated on the Lenne river valley, i ...

, 1st

Count of Limburg The counts of Limburg ruled a medieval county with its capital at Limbourg-sur-Vesdre, lying between Liège and Aachen. They rose to prominence when one of them was appointed Duke of Lower Lorraine. Though Lorraine was later confiscated, the d ...

(a.d.Lenne) Berg,A. Archive f. Sippenforschung Heft 14.Jahrgang30.Mai 1964 * Friedrich of Altena (born before 1220, died after 1243) * Elisabeth of Altena (born before 1220, died after 1275), married ca. 1234 Dietrich II Count of Mors (born 1226, died 1275) * Sophie of Altena (born before 1222, died after 1292), married in 1237 Heinrich III von Volmestein * Agnes of Altena (born before 1228, died after 1282), married in 1243 Burchard III von Broich. They had 13 children * a daughter, married John I, Count of Sponheim-Starkenburg.

Literature

* Kraus, T.R., Die Entstehung der Landesherrschaft der Grafen von Berg bis zum Jahre 1225, Neustadt an der Aisch 1981 * Andernach, N., Entwicklung der Grafschaft Berg, in: Land im Mittelpunkt der Mächte. Die Herzogtümer Jülich-Kleve-Berg, Kleve 1984, S.63-73. * Hoederath, H.T. Der Fall des Hauses Isenberg 1225/1226 . In rechtsgeschichterlicher und soziologischer Schau, 1954 Zeitschrift der Savigny stiftung fur Rechtsgeschichte. Kanonistische Abteilung * Aders,G. Die Grafen (von Limburg) und die Herrn von Limburg-Styrum aus dem Haus Berg-Altena-Isenberg. Zeitschift 'Der Marker" 1956 blad 7. * Korteweg, K.N. Descendants of Dietrich I Graf von Limburg Hohenlimburg. (Corrected lineage). De Nederlandse Leeuw Jaargang LXXXI no.8 August 1964. * Berg, A. Lineage counts of Limburg Hohenlimburg and Lords of Limburg-Styrum. (Same independent conclusion) Archive fur Sippenforschung Heft 14. Jahrgang 30. Mai 1964. * Klueting, H: "'Daß sie ein Abspliß von der Grafschaft Mark ist, daran ist kein Zweifel'": Die Grafschaft Limburg vom 13. bis zum 19 Jahrhundert", in: ''Jahrburch des Vereins für Orts-und Heimatkunde in der Grafschaft Mark'' 93/93 (1995), pp 63–126. * Marra, S: "Grafen von der Mark, Herzöge von Kleve-Mark" und "Jülich-Kleve (Hof)", in: Werner Paravicini, editor: ''Fürstliche Höfe und Residenzen im spätmittelalterlichen Reich'', (Sigmaringen 2003) * Eversberg, H. Graf Friederich von Isenberg und die Isenburg 1193-1226. Hattingen 1989 * Gerhard E. Sollbach: "Der gewaltsame Tod des Erzbischofs Engelbert I. von Köln am 7. November 1225. Ein mittelalterlicher Kriminalfall", in: ''Jahrbuch des Vereins für Ort- und Heimatkunde in der Grafschaft Mark'', 93./94. Bd., 1995, pp 7–49. * Bleicher, W. Hohenlimburgher Heimatblätter fűr den Raum Hagen und Isenlohn. Beiträge zur Landeskunde. Monatsschrift des Vereins fűr Orts- und Heimatkunde Hohenlimburg e.V. Drűck Geldsetzer und Schäfer Gmbh. Iserlohn. County of Limburg Lenne. 1976-2012

External links

7. November 1225

Burg Isenberg, offizielle Seite

* ttps://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/finde/langDatensatz.php?urlID=89&url_tabelle=tab_periodika Hohenlimburger Heimat Blatter

References

{{Authority control German murderers Counts in Germany German outlaws

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

Counts of Limburg

People excommunicated by the Catholic Church People executed by breaking wheel 1193 births 1226 deaths 13th-century murderers 13th-century executions Criminals from the Holy Roman Empire